A Royal Marine from 40 Commando has died during a fire-fight with insurgent Afghan forces – the fourth to be killed in four days.
The marine was conducting a security patrol in the Sangin district of Helmand Province when he was shot on Wednesday morning.
Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “He was on a security patrol, helping to better the lives of ordinary Afghans, when he was killed by small arms fire from insurgent forces.
“His courage in the face of danger and his selfless commitment will not be forgotten. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. We will remember him.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the marine, serving as part of Combined Force Sangin, was conducting a security patrol to reassure local nationals in the area around the patrol base when the fire-fight occurred. His next of kin have been informed.
The announcement came just hours after a Royal Marine killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on Monday was named as Paul Warren, 23, from Leyland, in Lancashire.
Marine Warren’s family said he had made them proud, adding: “His cheeky smile will be missed by all who knew him.”
Meanwhile, a former member of David Cameron’s front-bench defence team said that British troops are paying an “unnecessarily high price” in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan.
Tory Julian Lewis, a former shadow defence minister, asked Mr Cameron: “Do you accept that there are other ways of fighting counter-insurgents which do not involve sending out uniformed personnel along predictable routes day after day to be sniped at and blown up?”
The Prime Minister said British and US forces are conducting a counter-insurgency operation in Afghanistan. He added: “If you’re going to win at counter-insurgency, if you’re going to succeed at what is called a war amongst the people, you have to be amongst the people, protecting the people from the insurgents.”
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